The Next Step in geting out there
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Posted on Aug 26, 2003 01:36 am
Sds2000
Member Since: Jul 17, 2003
OK i got about 7 of my songs recored demo quailty should i know just send some demos to record lables ???? post them on sites ?? what ??? im stuck here
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Aug 26, 2003 01:58 am i always wanted to do what trent reznor did.
he recorded his own pro-quality demo tape, by himself using an old macintosh and a drum machine, then submitted the tape to record companies. TVT picked him up. the result was pretty hate machine. he never had to play out or tour before getting signed. in fact he said that he always thought that that was a dumb way to do it. everybody plays around a dumb town like cleveland and expects to get noticed, and he didnt think that that was a smart way to go about it. so he did it himself and made connections and shopped around. for someone like me, that would be my only hope. if i could get about 100% better, that is. i dont have time to build a fan base.
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Aug 26, 2003 02:02 am SDS...it would be wise to read some books and take some courses and speak to whatever "inside" people you can who aren't sitting on the other side of the negotiating table. nothing can mess up your life easier than signing the dotted line while appearing naive.
it wouldn't hurt to send out press kits with your demos to record labels to get people noticing. just make sure you know what you're jumping into before you make any real commitments. indie labels are more likely to pay attention.
TheTincanbugsloppy dice, drinks twiceMember
Since: Aug 05, 2003
Aug 26, 2003 07:48 am Sds2000, a lot of record companies throw out a huge portion of the stuff they receive. They are somewhat more likely to be receptive if you're using an agent or middleman they trust. Check out a company called Taxi - it's what they do.
www.taxi.com
It's a for-pay independant Artist Representation service, it runs $300/year. Sounds like a lot - but think about the payoff.
glynbMember
Since: Dec 16, 2002
Aug 26, 2003 08:01 am "i always wanted to do what trent reznor did.
he recorded his own pro-quality demo tape, by himself using an old macintosh and a drum machine, then submitted the tape to record companies. TVT picked him up. the result was pretty hate machine. he never had to play out or tour before getting signed. in fact he said that he always thought that that was a dumb way to do it. everybody plays around a dumb town like cleveland and expects to get noticed, and he didnt think that that was a smart way to go about it. so he did it himself and made connections and shopped around. for someone like me, that would be my only hope. if i could get about 100% better, that is. i dont have time to build a fan base."
I think this is a bit contradictory and misleading.
The first part reads that it is possible to just do a rough home recording and send off demos blind to companies and hey presto you get signed. But then you indicate a bit later in your post that the artist in question 'made connections', which is a very different scenario. I'm willing to bet he didn't just send out demos without first having some contact names and a 'connection'. I would bet that any unsolicited stuff hardly ever makes its way to being played at all, let alone played by the 'right people'.
If you're on your own I'd guess you need to be a pushy sort of person who can blagg well and doesn't get put off easily in order to make the contacts/connections. Now not many people fall into that category (and the ones that do end up in sales!) let alone sensitive artists - hence the need to employ a manager to do it on your behalf.
I think in any case that playing in bars in a small town is the thing to do initialy. No, not because you may 'get noticed' - that's not going to happen unless you're in a major city, but because that way you learn stagecraft and how to entertain people, not just stand there and play, how to cope when things go wrong, how to work an audience, etc. The trouble with some new bands is that they have been transplanted from their garage to the big stage without doing the in-between hard graft in bars and clubs and you can tell.
Most artists who seem to 'come from nowhere' have put in a lot of work gaining contacts in the past, a foot in the door to get your stuff listened to.
Just my 2 cents.
Aug 26, 2003 11:27 am i don't know--i forget the truth about whether he had connections or not. i put that in there because it seems likley that he would have had them. but making contacts is different from playing out. and if he did have contacts, its highly doubtful he got them through any of his former bands. he was just the keyboard player, and they were lousy bands, according to trent.
i agree that stage experience is valuable. playing out is fun, too, so you gotta do it, just because. but as a way to get signed? i don't know. it just doesnt seem practical to pin all your hopes on that.
Aug 26, 2003 11:42 pm Thanks for all of the info u guys have given me. Ill use all of it im sure.
Is it esier to get into being a profesional Recording Engineer or as a musican ?
glynbMember
Since: Dec 16, 2002
Aug 27, 2003 05:59 am Just my opinion, but I ewould have thought neither of them is at all easy to get into professionaly.
As with most things in life it's 'who you know' that counts, whether an aspiring musician or recording engineer. If you happen to meet the right person who can give you the chance you need, and you have ability/telent of course, then you may get into it. if you just have talent but no contacts you are not likely to get anywhere, jobs like that don't fall off trees!
Aug 27, 2003 06:56 am Most of us here could get into engineering quite easily, as we have the gear and/or studio, beyond that it's a matter of making a business out of it, rent out your space and time to local bands for a decent price to gain exposure for yourself. It may be a slow and painful process, but it works. That work for recording engineering and live sound engineering as well, I know at least 4-6 people who have done it on their own. Of course, it also depends what the local music scene is like in your area.
Getting into the performing biz, well, that is a different matter.
GeoffSM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic'sContributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002
Aug 27, 2003 07:16 am i have to say it's fun and a dream of mine to be doing what i'm doing ( that is recording bands) but db is right , the local scene is where you start at . I'm getting back inot the scene and it's great and a pain at the same time , but it is worth it for my 2 cents.
Aug 27, 2003 05:06 pm "if you just have talent but no contacts you are not likely to get anywhere, jobs like that don't fall off trees!"
--yeah, but...at least with performing, if you have mad talent, you tend to make contacts rather quickly.
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Aug 27, 2003 05:29 pm not necessarily true, fortymile. depends on where you are seen playing, and who frequents those places. sometimes there are surprisingly negative forces at work when it comes to having a lot of talent.
Aug 27, 2003 07:08 pm i guess, but dont you think that if hendrix grew up in fairbanks alaska, he would have still been discovered?
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Aug 27, 2003 08:27 pm considering that he was playing gigs in new york when he met chas chandler and began his solo career (which arguably could have began in a variety of different ways), i think where he grew up is kind of irrelevant.
i'm not saying that having immense talent is a burden or that it will prevent you from getting where you want to go. i'm saying that it's surprising how there are negative forces sometimes in response to that talent.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Aug 27, 2003 11:43 pm I can't tell you exactly what is the best choice of actions for you, but I can give you my plan, and I am somewhat (well kinda) in the same boat as you.
I am starting a label here in San Francisco with a couple other cats I know. My group is going to be the first release on the label (an EP). We are going to distribute the release ourselves in the bay area. Our goal is to sell enough copies locally to be able to convice an independent distributor to pick our label up. Meanwhile we are promoting an underground hip hop party at a local club, with djs and live acts. This gives us an opportunity to make contacts as well as provide us with some funds to start duplicating CDs (the first release is still in the process of being made). It also gives us a chance to perform at our own party and we have already gotten another (non-paying) gig from connections made from promoting our party.
I think the number one thing I've found in the short amount of time I've been doing this is that you have to give love to get love. If you support other artists (go to their show, let 'em know you like their music, etc) they will be more likely to keep you in mind if something comes up. Also, there is such a frequent conception of people being non-professional (artists especially) in this industry, that if you do what you say, and then some, people will be impressed. And, there really is a lot to be said about networking. Go out to open mics or other events where you can meet other artists. See if you can collaborate with some of them. This can be beneficial if they have good contacts at local labels.
I used to work at a now defunct, smaller independent label here in the bay. I would listen to any submissions sent in, but the main decision makers wouldn't. Besides, most of the submissions were pretty awful.
I guess, to sum up my post, if you don't have a little stash of money to start your own label and put out your own album, try and do what you can do play locally. Talk to the other acts playing with you that night. It can go quite a ways sometimes.
Sorry for the long, long post.
